(Adventures of Archipelago)
by SunnyHunnyBunny
Summary: *REQUESTED* Story idea by: the core of justice (CHECK 'EM OUT!) Hiccup and Toothless leave Berk to search for new dragon and more Nightfuries. As he searches, he meets new Riders and makes new friends! Maybe even falls in love? Hiccup discoveries a new sense of family, one that he has never known back home. **LEMONS** OC/Heather OC/Hiccup REVIEW! FAV! PM ME!(3(3(3(3
1. Nightfury

**So this is a request story from: the core of justice ! The ideas are almost all his, I'm just the one who writes them all out. I am really intrigued by this and hope that if anyone else has any ideas/stories they would like to co-write, please let me know. SO FAR THIS HAS BEEN REALLY FUN! Okay, now some background:**  
 **This story, alters the original HTTYD plot-line (not something I normally do, but I'm excited to see where it goes!)**

 **~~~IF YOU READ PAST THIS IN BOLD: THERE IS A SPOILER!~~~**

 **My little SPOILER is that Toothless is not injured when he is captured, he remains intact and does not need Hiccup's help to fly (I thought I would tell you so there is no confusion) ;)**  
 **IF YOU'RE STILL INTERESTED, THE STORY IS BELOW. LOTS OF LOVE FOR ALL MY SUNNYSUPPORTERS! (3(3(3(3(3(3(3(3(3(3(3(3**

 **AND LOTS OF THANKS TO: THE CORE OF JUSTICE!**

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"NIGHTFURY!

"Get down!"

I heard the screams and looked up from the sword I was sharpening, I saw a zap of electric blue energy hit the island's main catapult. The machine caught fire and exploded into pieces that crumpled into the sea, my father, the chief of Berk, leapt away from the burning wreckage just in time. I jumped across the room of the workshop and looked up into the night sky, trying to catch of glimpse of the treacherous creature. I didn't see anything except for another burst of electricity hitting our attack tower.

 _This is it,_ I thought to myself. _I am going to be the first Viking to kill a Nightfury._

I stepped away from the window and watched as Gobber, my mentor at the shop, took off his attachable hand and replaced it with a double sided axe.

"Man the port, Hiccup," he screwed the axe into place. "They need me out there." He limped to the doorway then turned back to me. "Stay... put... there," he added words as he went, he knew all too well I had my ways to get around orders. "You know what I mean," he added before screaming out a blood thirsty cry and running (or should I say limping) into the village.

Immediately I turned and ran out the back door, _I can use the trap! I can kill it tonight!,_ I thought as I ran through the screaming villagers while they all hurled insults to me.

"Be right back," I called as I raced forward towards the cliffs of Berk.

I opened my trap quickly, pointed it to the stars and watched the sky intensely as I heard the cries of the dragons attacking my village behind me.

"Come on... Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at," I repeated in a low tone.

I paused once I heard the cry of the nightfury, _here it comes_ I thought, bracing myself. I saw flicker across the sky, blocking out the bright stars on the horizon, _THERE!_ The dragon swooped down low and zapped a unarmed catapult right in front of me. I let loose of the control and the force was greater then I had anticipated, it sent my flying backwards, tumbling to the ground. I stood up quickly, hearing the cry of a dragon, I looked to the sky and saw the great beast falling down to earth.

I felt pride and triumph fill my body.

"Oh I hit it!," I jumped into the air. "YES I HIT IT!"

The next morning I went searching for the beast, but no matter where I went, it was like the nightfury had disappeared. I scribbled out the map in my notebook, frustrated that I had finally done something right, but couldn't prove it.

"The gods hate me," I groaned as I put my map away. "Some people lose their knife or a mug, but no me, I manage to lose an entire dragon!"

I angrily swipe a tree branch away from me, but it comes back and hits me in the face. I cried out and looked to the tree, it's trunk had been completely shattered, but the impact of something large barreling into it. I turned and saw a long track of fresh disturbed dirt and other trees and plants uprooted. It was the impact spot, _I found it!_ I followed the track and peered over the side into a valley. I saw it, the dark dragon laying in the grass. I gasped and ducked out of sight, my heart beating rapidly. I slowly looked over the edge again to the massive creature tangled in the ropes of my trap as it lay motionless on the ground.

 _This is my chance,_ I patted my vest and pulled my knife, not realizing how fast I was breathing. I slide down the side of the valley and hide behind a large rock, practically panting, my adrenaline at an all time high. _This is it. This is it._ I held my knife close and stepped out from behind the rock. The nightfury looked completely helpless, almost like it was already dead and I felt a new swell of satisfaction.

"Oh wow... I did it! Oh, I did it! This fixes everything! YES!," I cheered stepping closer. I put my foot on the neck of the dragon. "I have brought down this might beast," I boasted to no one.

The nightfury groaned and moved, sending me rearing backwards into the side of the valley. _OH SHIT_ , I thought with panic in my blood. I stood and pointed my knife at the dragon, stepping forward again. It was breathing heavily and trying to test the durability of the ropes. I watched it open it's eyes, they were a bright green and they looked as angry as anyone would be in that situation. I looked away it's gaze, pointing my knife at it's heart. _I have to do this!_ My eyes flickered back to it's eyes and sympathy seeped into my brain and the beast moaned. I shook it out and gritted my teeth.

"Time to kill you dragon," I mumbled. "I'm going to cut out your heart and take it to my father," I narrowed my eyes. I closed my eyes," I am viking," I whispered to myself then glared down at the creature. "I AM A VIKING!"

It didn't look away, it didn't even blink, it just stared at me with it's angry slanted eyes. _I can do this!_ I raised the knife above my head, prepared to plunge it into the dragons chest, but I made the mistake of peering out at it one last time. The dragon had still not looked away, it stared at me, almost as if it was staring into me. _Wait... maybe-... NO! I CAN DO THIS!_ I raised the knife again and inhaled sharply. I heard it sigh loudly and in that moment I knew it was already over, I was defeated. My arms dropped to my sides like they were no longer controlled by my body and I looked at the dragon, it had laid it's head down and closed it's eyes, like it had accepted the fate of death. _No... No, I can't..._

"I did this...," I backed away from the nightfury.

 _I can't just leave it here..._ I started to cut the ropes that kept it contained. Once it was freed, it leapt on me, pinning me down, it's face just inches from mine. It's large green eyes were fierce and intimidating as it's grip tightening on my chest. _OH NO! OH NO! OH NO! THIS IS IT! I'M DEAD! I'M SO DEAD!_ I waited for it to strike me, but it just stared, building the tension between us. It opened it's mouth and I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst. It then screamed loudly in my face and jumped away. I couldn't believe it, I was alive. _It let me live... I guess we're even now._ I watched the beast fly off into the horizon _. I can't believe I let it live... I could have been a hero, famous! A living legend! I beat myself up the whole way home._

"Give it up," Hiccup," I said aloud as I walked to the edge of town. "You're not a real viking... you never will be."

I spent the next day in bed, until my father practically bullied me into Viking training. I went but everyday I felt more and more like an outcast. I didn't belong there and everyone knew it. I was screw up. A failure. Not worthy. The only real reason I kept going was to see Astrid, even though everyday she would call me out for being terrible and one thing or another.

One night after training, I went back into the woods, back to the spot were I had caught a Nightfury, but no one would ever know.

"Such a loser," I thought hitting the back of my head against a rock as I looked at the very spot were it had been tied down and vulnerable. "I could have killed it. Astrid would like me... then I could have been popular. Cool... anything but this."

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh," Don't kid yourself... you couldn't kill it. It... it was too... real."

I thought back to it's intense gaze, the bright green iris that never looked away from me. _It's a living thing... why do I have the right to kill it. Dragons... they don't know any better._ I looked up to the stars, the world seemed so big and I was just a stupid, pathetic, wannabe excuse for a viking. That's when I saw it, the black shadow blocking out the bright lights. _Another nightfury?! OH NO! I have to warn dad!_

I jumped up and saw the dragon was diving down to me. _OH NO! IT CAME BACK TO FINISH ME! OH SHIT!_ I took off running back to Berk, but the dragon landed in front of me, blocking my path. I jumped back, terrified, it was so dark, I could only see the bright green eyes illuminated. _OH NO! OH NO! IT'S THE SAME ONE!_

I stepped towards me, it's eyes slanted, it's expression unreadable. It backed me up against a tree, I closed my eyes and waited again. _Just do it! KILL ME! I_ held my breath but the strike never came, I opened one eye and the dragon was now sitting on it's hind legs, watching me. It's eyes no longer scary, but large and very similar to that of a puppy. I let out my breath as it cocked it's head at me.

"What... What do you want," my voice cracked as I tried to sound intimidating.

It just stared at me, then sat up and approached me slowly, sniffing loudly. I clung to the tree as it's snout was pressed against my shirt, inhaling deeply. _WHAT IS THIS!? WHAT IS HAPPENING!?_ The dragon stepped back again, but remained closer then it had before.

 _OKAY, JUST CALM DOWN_ I yelled to myself. _IT'S JUST A DRAGON... A NIGHTFURY! A NIGHTFURY THAT ISN'T TRYING TO KILL YOU! That makes no sense,_ I ruffled my hair. The dragon didn't look away, but I was too scared to make a move, so I slide down the trunk of the tree and sat on the ground. _Okay okay, so you save this dragon, let it live, it lets you live and now... it's back. But it's not killing you? Why? What else could it want?_ Looking at it now, it didn't see as crazy as it had the day it was tied. It didn't attack me, it didn't pin me down, it actually... looked kind of cute, the way a pet looks cute. _What do I do?_

I slowly reached out a hand to the animal, it backed away sneering. I pulled my arm back quickly, afraid it would tear if off my body. It quickly went back to normal, like nothing had happened and rolled in the grass playfully. _What the hell is this thing?_ I stood up while it was distracted, looking at it curiously. _So it's a boy... but why is it here? Maybe I should run._

As soon as I thought it, the nightfury sat up as if it could hear my thoughts so I froze. I then approached me again, this time I didn't shrink away, I stood tall. He sniffed me again and I made the final decision to touch it or die trying. I lifted my hand and placed it on the dragon's head. He jumped at my touch, but settled down and let me stroke in soft short motions. He arched his neck, letting my scratch him more and then the weirdest thing happened, he opened his mouth and purred in a weird loud call. It seemed that he enjoyed it, when he did I saw his mouth and noticed he had no teeth. _Toothless? Nightfuries don't have teeth?_

He then curled up on the ground at my feet, "I can't stay. I have to get home..."

He looked up to me confused.

"My dad will wonder where I am," I tried to explain _. Idiot! He doesn't know what you're saying!_ "But... I'll come back... ugh... tomorrow? Tomorrow, okay?" _It still can't understand you._

The dragon stood and he towered over me, making me feel so small and insignificant. He let out a small cry before leaping back into the air and disappearing into the sky.

 _What just happened?_

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	2. A Friendship and a kiss?

I went back the next night, but he didn't come. It happened the whole rest of the week, until I gave up on the idea.

"I must have dreamt the whole thing," I mumbled as I fixed the helm of a broken sword.

"What's that?!," Gobber called to me.

I shook my head, "Nothing."

"Ya know, Hiccup," Gobber walked to me," I see the problems ya have been having in the arena."

I sighed, _not this talk again_ , I thought.

"If ya ever need some one on one trainin', ya let me know. I'm pretty skilled when it comes to the beasts."

"Skilled?," I chuckled. "They ate you're arm... and you're leg."

"Aye. But I'm alive, aren't I? And that's all I be wanting for you... or any other viking."

I nodded and tried to focus on my work, but the thought of the nightfury taunted me. _Why did he come back? Why not kill me? Why do I care so much?_

I went home, my father was of course gone, out sailing the oceans to find the dreaded dragons nest. I went to sleep instantly but was woken but the sound of something crashing in the living room. Dad must have had too much to drink, I thought rolling over, but then the noise happened again and I heard the noise only made by a dragon. _Dad's not here!_

I sat up instantly in bed and held my breath, _You're dreaming... You have to be._ The seconds passed like hours as I waited but the noise came again, and this time I knew it was real. I jumped from the bed and flew down the stairs and my heart almost leapt from my chest. There in my living room was the nightfury.

"What... What?! What are you doing here! You can't be in here!," both my hands gripped my hair tightly.

The nightfury turned to me and cocked his head, questioning me and then jumped towards me. He tackled me to the ground, but it wasn't viscous or angry, it was playful and fun. Too bad he weighed roughly 350 pounds, so it mostly just hurt me. He licked my face and the got off, I lay on the floor frozen for a minute.

 _This can't be real,_ I wiped the slobber from my face and stood up. I closed my eyes and wished the dragon away, but he was still there. _This is real... Okay. Okay... I need to get him out of here before someone sees him_

"Hey... Hey buddy," I tried to coax him out the back door, but he was too interested in my father's armor in the corner. "C'mon... C'mon."

It took some time but eventually I got him out and back into the safety of the woods without anyone seeing us. Even thought we were safe, I still didn't feel relieved, being near him gave me such anxiety. _A dragon... why of all people me? Not like I don't have enough problems and now I have this! Oh god... What do I even do with a dragon._ I paced back and forth as the large nightfury sharpened it's claws on the nearby tree trunk.

"Okay..., I took a deep breath. "You... You are a dragon," I turned to him. "And I'm a Viking... we're enemies. Mortal enemies. We... We kill one another. We aren't friends, we can't be friends," I was trying to convince myself by thinking out loud. The nightfury cocked his head in confusion, something he did very often. "I... I mean, I cut you loose... you're free. Why come back? What't the point?!"

He crawled towards me, but I wasn't scared of him anymore. He wasn't as ferocious and life threatening as we had believed. I recalled the book of dragons saying they were a mix of lightening and death... but him? He didn't act that way. He seemed tame almost, like he was used to being around me... almost as if he liked me. Before he reached me completely, he turned to the side, showing me his profile, after a minute he looked over his shoulder and grunted.

 _Wait, what? What does that mean?_ He grunted again and side stepped closer to me. _He... he wants me to get on his back? What? Why... Why would he do that?_

"You... You... You want me to get on?," I asked him curiously. He rolled his eyes and huffed impatiently, _that must be a yes..._

I cautiously stepped closer and took a deep breath, the nightfury then squatted lower so I could wrap my leg around him. I did it slowly and then centered myself on his back. _Holy Odin... I'm on a dragon._

He stood up and I quickly clutched him to keep my balance, he made a sound, almost as if he was laughing at me. I squeezed my eyes shut. _How... How did this happen? I'm on a dragon!_

Without a notice, he took off running, I yelped and gripped him tighter. He dashed through the trees towards the cliffs, I opened one yes to see the nature passing me in a muted blur. My stomach felt queasy and I thought I was going to throw up, partly from the movements and partially from the sheer fact I was riding a dragon. I suppressed the feeling and sat up, but kept a sturdy grip on him. He was leaping gracefully from rock to rock, bouncing off trees and sprinting forward, the woods were no obsticale.

I saw the sea and heard the ocean crashing against the shore and I felt my stomach drop. _He's not going to jump, is he? He isn't, right? Oh god... oh no!_ Before I could ask he jumped the final distance to the cliff and leapt into the sky. Then we were falling and I couldn't hold in my screams. My legs were like a vice around his stomach and my arms were wrapped tightly around his chest. WE'RE DYING! I'M DYING!

I felt him struggle underneath, most likely not used to the weight of a person on his back, he spun in the air frantically, opening his wings and flapping to gain control. The air stopped rushing past me and I could hear him flapping his wings in a rhythmic tune _, This is what it's like to be dead. Oh Odin... Why now?_ I then felt a gentle breeze brush my cheek, coaxing me to open my eyes and I saw the night sky surrounding me. The dark background was light up brightly by the sparkling stars and a half moon. _Wait... Wait..._ I turned my head and saw the head of a dragon. I was still on him, we were... flying?

I lifted my head curiously and looked below, I could see the waves of the ocean crashing into the rocks. _We're flying... Oh Odin... Oh dear god... I'm... I'm flying._ I looked straight and now the dragon was looking back to me, with a satisfied grin on his face.

"I... I...," I stumbled over my words, there were none planned for such an occasion.

He chuckled and turned back to steer. He was very graceful, gliding on the wind as easy as a boat sails on the sea. The shock never wore off, the wole time I kept looking around, checking for my pulse, trying to piece it all together. None of it really made sense.

 _I'm on a dragon... a nightfury. We're flying. Flying... What is my life?_

"Hey..," I called out to him and glanced to me. "I...I have to get back home soon, my dad will... he'll be worried."

Even if my dad was home, he wouldn't have noticed my absence. I didn't know about this dragon or where he would take me if I didn't get off soon.

The dragon made a slow and wide turn and my breath caught. It was Berk, so large and magnificent. I had never seen it, dad had never really let me leave the island, not even on a boat. It was dark and tall, after all it was nighttime, but I imagined in the daylight it was even more spectacular. In the distance I could see the lights of the village burning against the shadows.

He landed roughly, or maybe it was just me. I got off quickly, almost stumbled and appreciated the feeling of the land underneath me. I took a deep bretah and looked at the dragon. He looked so mysterious and beautiful, almost like a portrait. He was standing on the edge of the cliff, his wings spread out and his eyes were glowing. The moon was behind him, almost giving him a spotlight as he stood before me.

This is... this is something...

"I.. I...," I ruffled my hair. "Uhm, thank you?"

The nightfury lowered his head, a gesture somewhat like a nod.

"Uh... I... I really liked it. I had fun. But... But you can't go back to Berk," I explained. "They'll... They will kill you, you understand. It's not safe for you."

The dragon cocked his head again and I sighed loudly. _How do I explain it?!_

"Um... I'll come and find you, okay? How about here? I'll come here and you come here and this is where we will meet." I gestured with my hands wildly hoping to get my point across. He seemed to understand, which took some of the weight off my shoulders, _I don't know what I would do if he came back to Berk._

He watched for a moment longer, before turning and disappearing in the night.

It became routine after that, every day I went to dragon training and practially died. Everyone would laugh and point at me, make fun of how often I would get so close and how cowardly I appeared. Then every single night I went to the cliff and he was there, waiting for me. I would ride him around the island, we would explore it together and then he would bring me back. I got to learn things about him, things no one knew about dragons. For instance, he loved to roll in tall green grass, and his favorite food was fish. Whenever I would do something that annoyed him, especially when I was on his back, he would flick me with his ear to tell me to stop.

When I would say things, he almost seemed to listen to them, like he had a real understanding of what I was saying. For the first time in my entire life, I felt like someone understood me, like I had a real friend.

"And then we could train others too...," I looked to him and he was intrigued by the idea. I talked about it a lot. Leaving Berk, searching for more dragons, finding people to form a great community. One where people and dragons coexisted in peace. "We should do it, like really do it. There's... there's nothing for me here... I... I would do it... Would you?"

The dragon looked to me, his eyes wide and sincere and he nodded.

"Then we should do it," I said confidently. "I mean it... Tomorrow, we should leave... and then we can search Archipelago for more nightfuries too!"

He perked up to that idea.

"So much to do... uhm... okay, I'll see you tomorrow, bud," I rubbed his head and left into the woods.

I can't believe he ate all that fish... how can he fly home? Maybe dragons metabolize things faster? I should check into that.

"Well well well," A voice pierced the air like a knife.

I gasped and turned towards the source.

"What do we have here?," Astrid stepped out from the shadows.

"Oh... Astrid," I clutched my heart. "I...I...I..."

"What are you doing out here? So late... without your dad to protect you?"

"I..I...," I backed away from her. She picked up her axe and rested it on her shoulder and she grinned. She looked terrifying, almost like she had the intention to kill me.

"How are you even a Viking?!," she had disdain in her voice. "Son of Stoick the Vast and can't even take down a Gronckle!"

"I... I have other talents," I said. "I work better in..."

"Shut up!"

"Okay, yeah," I was now back against a tree.

"Tomorrow when I am deemed worthy by the elder and get to kill a dragon in front of the whole village, then everyone will know," she pressed her axe against my throat.

"Ughh... woah, there... that's really, ugh...," I swallowed and my neck brushed the blade. "Know what?"

"That I should be the next chief! Someone who can lead the people, someone who can protect us!," she shouted.

"I... I... I mean if you want it... I don;t really... it doesn't appeal," she pressed the blade closer and I stopped talking.

"Oh god!," she chuckled maliciously. "See! This is what I'm talking about! You won't even fight now!"

Then in a moment she was gone, I heard her grunt and there was a struggle. I looked to my left and there she was pinned down by the Nightfury.

 _OH NO!_

"Oh! Oh no! Uhm... Buddy, you can't!"

Astrid looked up and horror filled her completely and she started screaming. She tried to reach her axe but he slid it away from her, growling lowly and viciously.

"Buddy! Buddy," I pulled him away from her.

He reluctantly let go and she scrambled away breathing heavily. _How do I explain this? Oh Odin... oh no!_

"You! YOU!," she was still breathing hard. "You... and... AND THIS! YOU...," she stood up and pointed her axe at me. The dragon beside me did not take kindly to the threat and he growled loudly, to which she froze.

"You are no Viking," she spat.

I hurt, I had to admit. It was something I had known already, but to be told that by the girl I had been in love with since as long as I had known, it stung.

"Listen, Astrid. It's not... I... I can explain it all!"

She looked at me with disgust, but said nothing.

"I... I caught him. I was going to... to...," I looked to him quickly but his eyes were locked on her. "I couldn't kill him. I let him go."

"Then why is it here, Hiccup! WHY IS IT DEFENDING YOU!"

"Just...," I paused. "It's complicated."

"Let;s get this over with," she stood in attack mode. My nightfury lifted his hind legs, ready to pounce on her.

"NO! NO! NO!," I stood between them. "We aren;t fighting!"

"Yes, Hiccup! This is what we do," she glared to the dragon.

"No.. Just... just try it."

She stood up," Try what?"

"Come... come with us."

"WHAT! NO! NEVER WOULD I GO WITH THE DISGRACE OF THE VILLAGE ON THE BACK OF A MURDEROUS BEAST!"

The dragon roared unhappily at her remark.

"No! No, please, Astrid. Just, just let us take you on a ride. You'll see. He's not bad. He's good."

"Never," she lunged at the nightfury, who easily pinned her to the ground again.

She struggled but then pouted," Fine!"

"Fine, as in you'll do it."

"I said, fine!"

"Okay... Bud?"

The nightfury backed off her again and she stood up. I mounted the dragon and she carefully followed suite. He took off quickly, something she had not been expecting. She quickly grabbed me to keep her balance and blood rushed to my cheeks.

"Oh NO!," she called out as he leaped over the edge into the water.

Astrid screamed loudly as he waited until the last minute to turn upwards away from the sea. He swished his tail back and forth, rocking Astrid uncomfortably, she groaned unhappily. He snickered and flew forward.

"Is it over? Are we done?," she asked, he face hidden in my back.

"Astrid... just look," I told her.

She didn't, not at first. Then she opened her eyes and saw the night sky and all the stars twinkling around her.

She gasped," This is... unbelievable."

I felt a smile form on my lips as my dragon looped around the island.

Astid eventually let go of me, awestruck by her surroundings.

"Hiccup... this is... this is... I can't even..."

"It's great, right?," I looked to her.

"It's incredible. How did you...?"

I shrugged, "it just happened," I rubbed the back of the nightfury's neck and he giggled.

This was the first time in my entire life that Astrid had really talked to me, as in a genuine conversation that didn't revolve around insults. She asked so many questions, she seemed actually intrigued by the Nightfury. When we landed, she tried to pet him but he backed away from her, still holding the grudge.

"What's his name?," she asked.

 _Oh no,_ I looked to him and he looked to me. _We never... Oh I don't... Uh..._

"Uh... his name is... uhm... well I call him... uh," I looked over again and I saw he was now laughing at me, his mouth open. _No teeth!_

"I call him Toothless."

"Toothless? Huh... interesting."

Toothless' tail flew around the back of him and hit me in the side of the face, he did not approve.

Astrid giggled, "I never thought I would see the day, a dragon just...," she faded out.

"Astrid... you can't tell anyone about him."

Toothless then turned to the ocean, looking out intensely.

"What's wrong bud? You have to go?"

He nodded, eager to leave, so we said goodbyes and he flew away.

"You can't tell anyone, Astrid."

"I won't. I swear," she put a hand on her heart. "Is... Is this why you are doing so bad at dragon training?"

"I...," I hung my head. "I can't hurt them... not when I can see they aren't bad."

"They are bad, though Hiccup. They've killed Vikings and destroyed our village more times than I can count."

"We've killed them too," I countered as we walked back. "I just think they don't understand."

"That's... That's an easy way out of a bad situation."

"Well, Toothless and I will find a better way."

"What? How?"

"I don't know yet. We're going to go find it."

"Wait, like you're leaving?," she stopped walking.

"Uhm...," I rubbed my neck. "Yeah."

"Oh...," she started walking again.

"Yeah."

We walked in silence the rest of the way to village, I turned to head towards my house before she grabbed me.

"I promise not to tell."

"Thanks Astrid."

"But you have to promise too..."

"About wh..."

She leaned forward and kissed me. It was breif and right when she was done, she turned away, probably embarrassed.

"Wait... earlier you wanted to kill me!"

 _Shut up! She just kissed you!_

She turned back," I never wanted to kill you, Hiccup. I wanted to try and encourage you, I guess. I wanted you to step up," she shrugged before leaving me alone in the road.

 _I am stepping up. I'm going to bring peace between dragons and people!_


	3. Where are the dragons?

It was early, today was the day my father was going to come home and the day that a champion would be chosen to kill a dragon. I wanted to stop it, but how? I was a nobody, a failed viking in the eyes of Berk. _Toothless and I could try to free them all? But that's insane, there's now way we could pull it off, it would only make the whole town hate me more. We have to think about the bigger picture, peace among everyone._ I packed some clothes and food and took a sword from the shop and went into the woods to meet Toothless, he was waiting for me patiently in the dark. I loaded him up and even convinced him to put on a saddle I had made and we mount up. Toothless jumps into the sky and we soar way from the small island.

 _Don't look back. Don't look back._ I tell myself over and over, fighting the urge but nostalgia gets the better of me. I take a hand and grab the back of the saddle and look out across the water to the island disappearing behind us. It didn't hurt as much I thought it would to leave, I thought it would be harder. I thought I would have to force myself to get out of bed that morning, but when the time came I jumped up happily. _I need to do this_ , I thought. _Goodbye Berk._ I turned back towards the brightening sky as the sun slowly was peeking into view.

 **Back on Berk**

"Stoick! Glad to see yer back," Gobber greeted his old friend happily.

"Good to be back," Stoick boasted happily. "I missed this old rock. How was everything?"

Eh," Gobber shrugged," You know how it goes."

Stoick chuckled," Did we have any attacks?"

"Uh, no. All good here."

"Excellent," Stoick clapped his hands. "And the training?"

"I would have rather been out there with you," Gobber admitted.

"I know, but I knew you would do the job well. Any front runners?"

"That Astrid knows her way around an axe," Gobber admitted," But they all show potential when it comes to protecting Berk."

Stoick looked away briefly and cleared his throat,"... And... And Hiccup?"

"Ehhhhh," Gobber rubbed the back of his neck and an awkward tension passed between them.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Well... I... I mean, I think, maybe... uh... yes. Yes, it is that bad."

"Great Odin Almighty," Stoick swore under his breath.

"Ya can't really expect such change in a short time. He just needs some extra training."

Stoick took a seat on the available chair in the shop and rested his elbows on his knees. His trip had been exhausting, they had lost several good men and he had been hoping for some good news. Anything. Any kind of improvement in Hiccup's training.

"On the bright side, he's quite the blacksmith."

Stoick sighed again," But he is meant to be chief, not a blacksmith."Gobber clapped his good hand on his friend's back and the two sat for a moment while Stoick was deep in thought.

"He's a good kid," Gobber tried to comfort him."

"He is...," Stoick agreed.

"We should get over to the arena before we miss it all," Gobber practically skipped away.

The pair hurried to the arena and were greeted by a mob of anger.

"What's happened?!"

"Where are they!" "What happened to 'em!" Where did the dragons go!"

Tuffnut ran up to them," GOBBER! The dragon... THEY'RE GONE!"

Gobber scoffed," Gone? Where could they have gone? Out to lunch with their gran," he snickered and Stoick laughed too.

"No! They are! They're all gone!"

Gobber's face fell and he pushed past people and made his way down to the cages, his jaw dropped as he looked at all the doors open and all of the spaces vacant. Gobber turned to Stoick, who had followed them and just shook his head is disbelief.

"How did they get out," Stoick was no longer happy.

"I don't kno," Gobber turned back to the cages.

"They didn't break out wither," Fishlegs added as he stood beside Stoick. "All the locks were broken from the outside, some one had to of let them go."

"But who would be dumb enough to do that?," Tuffnut asked.

 **Earlier that day**

Astrid woke up, her nerves on edge. _Today is the day. Today is MY day_. She got ready quickly and went down to see her mom in the kitchen.

"Morning," she greeted her daughter. "Up early?"

"I want to get some practice in before the competition," Astrid admitted grabbing her axe beside the door.

"Want some food first?"

"No thanks."

"Don't wear yourself out," her mother mentioned before she closed the door behind her.

The world was still dark, no light was given from any source. Astrid waited for her eyes to adjust to the unreal deep of darkness, then made her way to the woods. _I should work on the double throw again, it was shaky last time. Today is counts. I should also warm up with some direct hits, just so I'm loose when the time comes. Can't cramp up._ Astrid was concentrating on her training when a movement on the horizon drew her attention. _What is that?_ She watched for a moment and her eyes widened in horror. _DRAGONS!_

She almost dropped her axe and she froze, panic surging through her. After a momentary lapse, she started sprinting back to the village, she had to alert everyone. She hear the gush of wind above her an she looked up, the dragons were passing over her. There had to be at leas 30 of them. _Great Odin's Ghost_ , she thought and pumped her legs faster. She had reached the edge of Berk and was running towards the alarm, to wake everyone and inform them of the attack. She put her mouth on the horn and and looked up and her adrenaline faded into confusion.

The dragons veered left of the village, the circled back around almost like vultures. Astrid stood up and stepped towards where they were flying in the distance. _What are they doing? Why aren't they attacking? Stealing sheep?_ The dragons then circle back towards the center of the village and they all landed out of her view.

 _What the hell is going on?... Is Hiccup?_ Astrid ran to where they had landed, she crept on them easily. They were at the arena. _What the hell..._ Astrid then saw a body jump from a dragon, a person... a human. _HICCUP!_ She stepped forward then saw noticed the height of this man, _That's not Hiccup_ , she dived back to her hiding spot silently. She tried to steady her breathing before peering out at the events unfolding.

He walked to the cage with the Zippleback inside, the dragon drew back and screeched at him. The man did not retreat, he reached a hand out and spoke, his voice deep and soothing, but the words were gibberish. He wasn't speaking any language I had heard, it was foreign and unknown. The Zippleback seemed intrigued by the sounds and relaxed in his cage. The man then struck the lock of his cage, a loud clang rang in the air.

He's letting it escape! The lock fell to the ground and the Zippleback stepped out among the flock of dragons and the man moved to the next cage. _What is he doing?! Why... Why aren't they attacking him? How is he doing this?! Should I... I should tell someone._ I told myself but my feet were planted in the ground and I was mesmerized by this man. _Dragons always go for the kill! Always! How is he alive!?_

The man had released all of the dragons we had and then he got back on his dragon. I squinted in the low light, _is that... Toothless?_ It looked identical to the dragon that Hiccup had shown me the night before. All of the dragons then turned to leave the arena and I ducked down in my hiding place. One by one, I felt them take off from the ground and leap into the air, I saw them rush overhead like large wild birds. I stood up and watched them all disappear and I felt a new panic.

 _All the dragons are gone! Why didn't I stop him! How can I win the competition now?! Oh... This is bad. This is really bad. Maybe Hiccup will know? Did he leave already?! Today is too much, I was only prepared to lie about Hiccup... and now this?! Who is that guy? Why did he come here?_


	4. Heather

**Hiccup's POV**

"Okay Bud, gentle landing," I reminded him over the roar of the fierce winds.

The day had gotten colder and it was starting to rain, which in turn was freezing due to the temperature. I had no brought anything to shield us from the elements, I mentally scolded myself for being so stupid. _Maybe I need more help than I thought..._ My unpreparedness made us change the plan to an unexpected landing to the closest isle, Beserker. I knew that if we made it through the storm we would be safe there, my cousins lived there: Heather and Dragur. I knew I could convince them to give me some supplies before I continued on my journey.

Toothless landed as gracefully as he could given the high winds and rough rocks. The rain was blinding and it was hard to see, but I saw flickers of light and knew that's where people would be. I ran forth without a second thought, desperate to be free of the pounding water from above. Once in the village, I found Heather's home and rushed inside, lucky for me the door was not locked. The main room was bright and warm, it took some time for e my eyes to really see where I was.

"Hiccup?!," I heard the concerned tone from my cousin. "What in the name of trollsake are you doing here?!"

I looked up and saw her, she was standing in the doorway to her kitchen, her dark raven hair braided to the left side of her face. She looked pale, well paler than usual and her green eyes were mirrors of pure horror. I saw now that her hands were shaking as she stood frozen where she was.

"Heather?," I panted. "Are... Are you okay?"

"Don't. Move."

She wasn't looking at me, she was looking past me, her eyes locked on a target and she slowly reached for her double axe that was leaning against a far chair. I felt a surge of panic, _What is happening? Why is she so scared?_

"Heat-..."

"Shhh," she shushed me without prying her eyes away.

I slowly turned around and saw he fear, it was my dragon. I closed my eyes and sighed, _Idiot_. I stood tally and then walked to Heather, she was scared for me, trying to get me to be still and stop moving so the dragon wouldn't attack.

"Hiccup!"

"Heather, it's okay. It's okay-..."

"HICCUP! STOP!"

"Heather, he's a friend!"

"Duck down!," she called to me and she finally lunged for her axe and threw it at the dragon.

"NOOO!," I tried to stop her but it was too late.

I heard the impact of the blade and fear gripped my soul as I swiftly turned to see if Toothless had been harmed. Toothless had dodged the attack and was now s clinging to the stairs railing, his teeth bared and his eyes narrow as he snarled at Heather. The axe had landed in the door and was now stuck to the wood.

I tunred to Heather," Heather, listen to me. Let me explain!"

 _Why did I not tell him to wait in the woods! Why did he follow me here! Oh Odin... this is my fault!_

"Explain! YEA HICCUP, EXPLAIN! WHY IS THERE A DRAGON IN MY HOUSE!," she stepped away from me, angrily, her eyes darting between me and Toothless. She still stood in a defensive position ready to attack at any moment.

"First... Is there anyone else home. Where is Dagur?"

"He's... He's out. He's with his friends, I think."

"Good. So no one else is home?"

"Hiccup, why is there a dragon in my house?! Why did you bring a dragon! HOW!?"

"I can explain! All of it!"

"START TALKING," she yelled and crossed her arms.

"I... I...," I was suddenly so flustered by the situation. I took a step back and sighed deeply. "Ok, let's sit."

"I don't think so, not with that thing in here," she gestured to Toothless who snarled at her remark.

"Well then I'll sit," I sat sitting her chair. I took another deep breath and told her everything. How I had shot him down, set him free, how we became friends through our visits, my skill full rise in the arena, and my fear of being chosen to kill the dragon.

"So you ran away?" Heather was no sitting across from me, she had been so engrossed in the story.

"Yeah, I guess I did."

She scoffed," Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III does not just run away."

"Well turns out he does," I sighed.

"But why?! Where are you going?"

"I... I don't know."

"Hiccup, I love you like a brother, but you know you can't stay here. Not with... that."

"I know that. I just stopped to ask for some help."

"You want me to help you... and this dragon?," she looked over to Toothless who had now sat at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes. I just need some extra supplies that I forgot, then I'll leave."

Heather looked to her lap," Forever?"

"No," I shook my head.

"When will you come back?"

"I... I'll come back when things are changed."

"What does that even mean?!," Heather's anger flared.

"It means that we shouldn't be killing dragons! They are kind creatures, complex just like us. We kill them, they kill us; they kill us, we kill them. It needs to stop."

"You think you can change traditions? This has been what Viking s have done for thousands of years, Hiccup."

"I know... I want to try at least," I said lowly and she glanced up at me, she looked worried. "I promise you, we'll leave before dawn. We won't even stay in the house, we'll sleep on the rocks."

"Hiccup, I..."

A lound bang outside the house made us both turn to the source. I jumped from my seat and went to Toothless.

"What is that?," I whispered.

"It's Dagur, probably home drunk," Heather stood up calmly.

"Heather! Oh no! Where can we go?! How can we hide!?"

 _Oh no, if Dagur sees Toothless, he'll kill him on site! He won't let me explain it._

There was another bang, closer to the front door.

"HEATHER!," I whispered urgently.

She was suddenly next to me, a sly grin on her face.

"I'll help you get out, on one condition."

"What!? Heather, we have to go now!"

"I come with you."

Her words surprised me, I turned to her, our situation's urgency faded for a moment.

"Come with me?"

"YES!," her eyes lit up excitedly.

"But... But I don't even know where I'm going. Heather, it might not be safe."

There was a thud in the door, Dagur had finally found the house and to jiggstartedle the knob whilst moaning loudly, the drunken moans of a Viking.

"Now or never Hiccup," Heather urged me.

"Fine. Okay, yes. You can come with us! How do we hide?!"

"Out the back, there's a shed, go inside. I'll put Dagur in bed and come get you," she jumped giddily. "This is so much fun!"

I rushed past her, pushing Toothless into the kitchen then out the back door into the rain again, until we successfully found the shed and went inside. It was small and we were cramped in, but at least we weren't in the rain.

Toothless whipped me with his tail.

"OW!," I covered my arm,"What was that for?!"

He rolled his eyes and looked away.

"It's not my fault! It was the only way for us to get out. Besides, I bet she'll decided not to come last minute, she does it all the time."

We waited for awhile, until Heather came out to get us.

"Are you sure we should go back in? What if he wakes up?"

Heather cackled loudly," As if!? A heard of dragons running through the house and Dagur wouldn't even twitch."

"It's a nest."

"What?," she turned to me.

"A group of dragons is called a nest."

She shrugged," Whatever," she said as she ringed out her dripping hair. "So tell me, what is the plan."

"I don't have one."

"Don't lie to me, Hiccup. You were never stupid and always planned everything out. I know you wouldn't just run away, or you would have done it ages ago."

I sighed and sat at the table," I plan to fly all over Archipelago, discover more dragons, find more Nightfuries, talk to people, persuade them to see what I see in dragons and change the world. Then I'll go to Berk, and convince my dad."

Heather snickered at the last part," Convince Stoick? That's a laugh."

"I know he will be the hardest to convince, but I think I could do it."

"Speaking of Stoick, where does he think you are?"

I glanced away from her." Uhm... Well, I... I didn't really tell him anything..."

"So he thinks you just disappeared."

"Yeah," I admitted bashfully.

"That's cold, Hiccup. Ice cold."

"It'll be worth it. I know it."

Maybe I shouldn't come then...," Heather said, eating some left over meat.

"What?," I asked confused then looked to Hiccup slyly.

"I know Stoick, trust me. He will never stop searching for you. He will burn island and destroy villages acorss the Archipelago to get you back. There is a reason he is called Stoick the Vast."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, I didn't want my dad to worry... _but I couldn't turn back now. I hadn't even done anything, made any changes. He would just laugh at me, kill Toothless and send me back to Dragon training. I wonder if Astrid won... if she killed the dragons or not. She probably did, she was relentless._

"I don't care. I'm going to do this," I sounded much more sure of myself out loud.

Heather nodded," What kind of supplies do you think we'll need?"


	5. Bye Beserker

**Heathers POV**

Night had passed and Dagur had slept soundly without a peep. When he awoke, his face was stern and hard, I could tell all the ale had not left his body yet. Dagur always had a way of biting off more than he could chew, or in this case, drinking more than he could handle.

"Morning," I greeted him.

He replied in a simple grunt before heading out the door. I waited for a minute, to see if her would reappear before calling out the coast was clear.

Hiccup crept back into the kitchen through the door," Is... Is he gone?"

I rolled my eyes," Of course."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"Okay," Hiccup stood up and his dragon followed him.

Everytime I saw it, my throat swelled and my fingers twitched to my axe. All my life dragons were a threat, they were bullies and murders; not allies. But this dragon appeared different. It was calm and careful, it always looked like it was paying attention or even listening to Hiccup and I when we talked, but it couldn't be true.

"Did you get everything?," I asked him.

"Yes. Everything."

"Okay, we should go now... Dagur should be gone all day, but we want to be long gone before he gets back."

"Heather... I don't know...," Hiccup rubbed his arm.

I rolled my eyes, _here we go. He's already backing out._

"I think you should stay here."

I crossed my arms," I'm not staying here."

"But Heather..."

"No, Hiccup. The deal was you take me with you or I'll go and find Stoick, let him know your little plan."

Hiccup's eyes widened," You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would. Trust me. Besides," I smirked," He's probably already noticed your gone and is on his way here now."

Hiccup glanced to his dragon, I saw the fear in his eyes and knew I had won.

"Okay. Okay, fine. Fine, but we have to go now."

"That's what I was telling you," I smiled.

I lead Hiccup out the back and to he edge of the main island.

"Wait," I stopped and looked to Hiccup. "How... How are we...?"

"We'll both ride Toothless," Hiccup stated as if it was obvious.

"Wait, wait wait," I shook my head. "You want me to ride that thing!," I jabbed my finger at the dragon who sneered unhappily.

"Hey, easy bud," Hiccup stroked his animal. "Heather, you want to come with us, how did you think we were moving? By boat?," Hiccup asked sarcastically.

I crossed my arms," NO! I just... I didn't.. I don't know."

"Well, we need to go," Hiccup climbed on the back of the back winged creature. "Are you coming or not?"

I stepped back unintentionally.

 _Get on that! That thing! He can't be serious?!_

"You can't be serious!"

The black creature stepped up to the cliff and Hiccup turned to me.

"Heather, it's okay. I get it. You've hated dragons your whole life, you can't change overnight."

"Hiccup, I-"

"I have to go Heather, but I promise I'll be back one day. I promise," Hiccup gave me a small comforting smile and then turned to the water.

 _I can't give this chance up!_

I hyped myself up and then jumped onto the animals back, clinging to Hiccup for balance, squeezing my eyes shut and burrying my face into Hiccup's back. It felt weird, I could feel it breathing, moving, adjusting. It made my stomach uneasy.

"Heather!," Hiccup was shocked.

And then we were moving, I knew it I could feel it. I felt it pounce into the air and I could feel the wind rippling past us. _I am on a dragon... a dragon... oh no... oh no... I'm gonna be sick. I... I can't... I... what am I doing! What did I do!_

I gripped Hiccup tighter, afraid for my life.

 **Stoicks POV**

"WHERE IS HE?!," I bellowed angrily, shoving aside everything in my path as I stormed through the hall.

"Stoick, the boy is probably just in some field. He can be a wee forgetful," Gobber hobbled alongside me.

"NO! He's not... He would have remembered. He couldn't forget the tournament," I pushed open the final door.

"It's possible..."

I turned to face Gobber, my eyes ablaze and narrow.

"Or... maybe you're right," he agreed sheepishly.

"But where is he?! Where is my son!?"

I was angry, Gobber was supposed to watch out for him in my absence. He was supposed to keep him safe from harm, train him to protect himself and now he was missing.

"I'll have the men do a run around of the island again," Gobber suggested.

"No... don't," I sat down heavily, the stress and lack of sleep were now catching up to me. "They would have found him Gobber... they would have...," I sighed.

Gobber sat beside me," Hiccup is a fine lad, smart. He's fine, probably just tucked away somewhere hiding from the viking training."

"He wouldn't do that, he knows better. He can't be all bad, Gobber. He's got to have some Viking in him. And it doesn't explain where the dragons went..."

Gobber was silent for a moment and then turned to me, our eyes met and I saw what he wanted to say.

"NO! Don't say that Gobber, don't even think. Hiccup wouldn't do that!"

"I know! I know! I was just... it's a bit odd they both disappeared at the same time, no?"

"Don't dare utter a word," I voiced coldly. "Hiccup knows what they've done to this island, to his home. He knows what they did to his mother, he would never, no matter how little the people think of him, he would never."

"You're right, Stoick. I'm sorry," Gobber bowed his head.

"No, it's not your fault. I just want him found. I need him to be safe, Gobber. I can't lose him."

"He'll be found. I'll prepare the ships to leave."

"Good."


	6. Scraps

**Hiccup's POV**

I didn't really know how to steer Toothless or to tell him where I wanted to go because I had no idea. So I mostly laid back and let him take me wherever he was heading, the only thing that matter was that Berk was getting farther and farther away. I was not expecting Heather to join me, she had not once let go of me since we left this morning, I don't even think she's opened her eyes. It was so unreal to see her like this, I've known her since we were kids, we grew up together and Heather had always been fearless and aggressive, but now sh sat behind me clinging to me with terror. It made me think what Dagur would do when he noticed her missing, he was going to lose it. Heather and Dagur were close and he had always been protective of her, even though she could protect herself just fine.

I noticed Toothless dip downwards, so I leaned forward," You okay, bud?"

He jolted lower, like our weight had become too much for him, oh no. "Uh... maybe we should land?," I suggested and with that Toothless nose dived down through the clouds.

"AHHHHHHHH!," Heather screamed and tugged me tighter, it felt like she had collapsed my lung.

I gripped Toothless afraid that this was the end, we cleared the clods and I saw we were diving right onto an island.

"Toothless!," I called out a warning but he didn't slow down.

The ground was visible and then we cut through the treetops as if we were blades, the impact was harsh and painful.

"HICCUP!," Heather cried in pain.

Then we were on the ground, Toothless had landed and we were safe, like nothing had happened. The trees were spinning around so I closed my eyes for a second.

"We're dead," I heard Heather whisper to herself. "I can't believe we died!"

I opened my eyes to the world around us, it was green and lush, the air felt hot and sticky. Toothless stood still, glancing around as well while Heather still refused to open her eyes.

"We are dea. That was it. That was my life."

"Heather..."

"Hiccup, I can;t believe I trusted you and you killed me."

"Heather, we aren't dead," I told her as I saw movement in the trees to the right of us. Toothless saw it too and perked his ears.

"HA!," Heather laughed curtly. "I should have known to stay away. Dragons are nothing but bad luck!"

"Heather, shh," I watched the shadow move again. _What is it? What's out there?_

"You can't 'shh' me! I'M DEAD!"

"Heather!," I nudged her and she lifted her head from my back and peeked an eye open.

"Hiccup... where... where are we?"

"I don't know... but we aren't alone," the shadow shifted again, I glanced to Toothless who was now uninterested in whatever laid beyond the shrubbery. He was focused on cleaning himself.

"What do we do?," Heather asked.

"I don't know," I answered honestly looking back to the movement, it was closer now.

"Well if we aren't dead, I'm sure as hell not dying now!," Heather slide of Toothless' back and slide her double axe from around her back to her front.

"Heather," I whispered, I didn't want her to get herself killed on the first day. "Stop!"

She held a hand up to silence me as she advanced to the shrubs, Oh no! I hopped off Toothless and scampered after her.

"Heather this is a bad idea. Really bad."

"Just as bad as trusting that thing!," she gestured to where Toothless stood. "He probably brought us hear to eat us."

"What? Dragons don't eat people!"

"Yeah, sure," Heather replied sarcastically as she crouched low to the ground.

"Heather, come one, let's just calm down here," I stole a glance towards the shadow, we were closer now and I was interested and terrified to find out what it was. I turned and fear surged through me, it had to of been an animal, but it was missing pieces. I could see through parts of it and it was humongous.

"Hiccup?," Heather saw my fear. "Get down," she grabbed me and pulled me beside her. "What is it? What did you see?"

I searched for the way to describe it to her but was lost," I... I don't know."

Then the shrubs rustled behind us and the creature showed itself by stepping out onto the pathway. It towered over us, almost reaching the treetops and it was white and has large wings.

 _It's a dragon... oh Odin..._

It was a dragon, but it didn't look like a dragon. It looked like... _bones?_

"Odin's ghost...," Heather whispered beside me.

"It's a Boneknapper," I said in awe mixed with terror.

The dragon approached Toothless, Toothless turned to it, on guard for whatever might happen next. The two animals circled one another, the Boneknapper the lowered it's body and roared loudly at Toothless.

 _This doesn't look good._

Toothless sneered at the Boneknapper, raising his hind legs to attack if need be while the Boneknapper kept circling.

 _I can't let him hurt Toothless,_ I tried to stand up but Heather pulled me back.

"Are you crazy," she whispered. "That thing will skin you alive!"

"I have to help Toothless!," It tired to stand again but she held me in place. "Will you stop that?"

"No. If you die, then I'm stuck here alone!"

The Boneknapper turned it's attention to us now, we weren't being as stealthy as we were when he first emerged. His eyes locked with mine and I was scared, then it stood up again raising his head to the trees and screamed so loud that I thought the earth was shaking.

"Toothless!," I called out to him and he perked up upon hearing his name.

He dashed over to us.

"Quick, get on," I pushed Heather on his back.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!," I looked up and behind Toothless, near the base of the Boneknapper was a man shouting. A real human. He wasn't calling to us, but he was looking up at the Boneknapper and flapping his arms

"Hiccup! Come on," Heather grabbed me.

"Wait! Wait, look," I pointed.

The man shouted some more, and the Boneknapper heard him, and lowered his head to the ground.

"He's crazy!" Heather said.

The Boneknapper quieted, it stopped rumbling and fussing as the man approached him.

"You're alright. It's all good Scraps, it's okay."

"Hiccup, let's go! Before it eats us," Heather pleaded.

"Wait, but look. Look, it's not... It... They are... He's not afraid."

"Well he should be."

"No," I stood up. "They're friends."

The Boneknapper nuzzled it's large head close to the man's body and the man laughed and kicked him playfully. He smiled until he saw us, still sitting here watching him.

"OYE!," he called out angrily to us.

"HICCUP!," Heather urged me.

"What right do you have scaring Scraps like that, huh? NONE I tell you!," he stormed towards us.

Heather suddenly jumped off Toothless and in the path of this man, he double axe out, almost touching him.

"Back off," she warned.

I couldn't see her face but I knew Heather could be just as scary as that Boneknapper if she wanted to be. I did notice that the man was huge. He was almost two heads taller than Heather with dark black curly hair and a beard to match while his cold brown eyes glared down at her.

He then smirked," That's cute," he sounded unimpressed.

"Don't make me use it!," she shouted.

"OYE!," he looked past her and to me. "You gonna let your girl do the fighting then!"

I sighed and walked around Toothless, "No. We don't want to fight. Do we Heather?," I tried to put the implication in my tone.

She didn't catch it and it looked like she pressed the axe closer to the man," Depends," she grunted.

The man chuckled at her, I think he was amused by her determination, that or he was crazy.

"Why don't the two of you just get off my island."

"Your island?," Heather and I asked at the same time.

"Yes, my island! How'd you two even get in here?!"

"Uhm.. well, we just landed for a while. We didn't plan on staying."

The man leaned back and laughed.

"What's so funny," Heather asked annoyed by him.

"Landed? On what?," he looked to Toothless. "That dragon?," he chuckled.

I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably, I didn't understand what he thought was so funny.

"So what if we did!," Heather answered.

"It would be impossible. That would make you two liars. I don't take kindly to liar," he voice grew cold and he almost looked taller and scarier.

"But wait! That... That Boneknapper...," I looked up to massive beast, "You... You were talking to it."

"That does not concern you," he said darkly.

"B-But that means... your... you are friends with it?," It was more of a question.

 _Does that mean he is a Rider too? Do others exist?!_

"What I do on my island is my business, not yours. SCRAPS!," he stepped back and bellowed.

The large Boneknapper knelt down to him and I grabbed Heather and pulled her back.

"Get rid of them," he told the dragon, no longer entertained by us. The Boneknapper than opened his stood and walked towards us.

"What? NO!," I called out.

Heather raised her axe to strike the dragon just as Toothless dashed into the middle of things. He sent a searing ball of blue light to the Boneknapper that screeched in pain. I pulled Heather back further to keep her from the danger and turned to the man, who was stunned by the change in events.

"SCRAPS! SCRAPS WAIT!," he called to his dragon who stepped back unhappily.

The man turned to us, now curious he stepped forward but Toothless sneered at him.

"Woah," he stepped back.

"Toothless," I went up beside him. "It's okay bud," I told him as he glared down at the man.

The man was still shocked and in disbelief he smiled," Woah woah woah! Wait... did you... I mean, there's no... you can't... I," he ran his hand through his beard. "I can't believe this. You... and that nightfury...?"

"We don't want to fight!," I told him. "We don't want any trouble."

"But that is your nightfury?," he asked to clarify.

"No," I told him. "I don't own him."

"But he just defended you?"

"Yes, we're... we're friends. And that," I pointed to the Boneknapper. "That's your dragon."

He chuckled," No, I suppose we're just friends too."

"We didn't chose to land here. We just needed to rest."

The man thought for a moment, about what I wasn't sure. _Maybe he'll still try to kill us.._.

"What's your name," he asked.

"Hiccup."

"And your girlfriend?"

"I am NOT his girlfriend," Heather stormed up beside us.

He smirked," But what's your name?"

"Heather."

"I'm Drake," he placed a hand on his chest," and this," he stepped back and gestured to the Boneknapper," is Scraps."


	7. Drake and Marria

Drake guided us back to through the thick jungle like trees.

"So a nightfury? How did you meet it?," he pestered us about Toothless.

"Well, I shot him down and tried to kill him," I said honestly. "But... I couldn't do it, and we became friends."

"Wow, that's quite a story. Marria will definitely want to hear it."

"Marria?," Heather asked pushing vines out of her face.

"Yeah, she lives here with me. She has a dragon of her own, a Grim Gnasher, such a beautiful dragon."

"A Grim Gnasher!," Heather yelped while peering up to the Boneknapper following us. "This is too much," I heard her mumble to herself.

We finally made it back to his homestead, it was nice, built into the side of a large tree surrounded by a semi open area and just beyond it was the beach. That where Scraps went to lay, but Toothless did not follow and chose to stay close.

"Marria! Marria!," Drake called out approaching the camp.

"What?," A hidden voice responded. "Did you fins Scraps? Is he okay?"

"I found something better," he turned and winked to us.

Heather rolled her eyes and scooted closer to me, I had never seen her so uncomfortable before.

"What?"

Now Drake rolled his eyes," come out and see!"

A girl appeared from the other side of the tree, she was striking with long dark brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail and piercing blue eyes that dazzled in the light. She was petite but just a few inches shorter than Heather and her face was frozen with pure shock.

Drake laughed, happy to be the one to shock her.

"This is Hiccup," he slapped me on the back and I practically fell over. "And this is his friend Heather... AND THIS is their Nightfury... Teethfull."

"Uhm, it's Toothless," I corrected him.

"Oh right right."

The girl stood there, still speechless.

"Hiccup, Heather, this is Marria."

"Nice to meet you," I tired to smile but he came out as an awkward grin.

"Hey," Heather waved unimpressed.

Marria set down her things and came to meet us quickly. Up close she was even more breathtaking and smelled of wildflowers.

"Wow... so... so your Riders, right?," she asked.

I glanced to Heather," Well, yeah, I am. Heather's just kind of along for the ride."

"Are you siblings?," she asked.

"Cousins," Heather corrected.

"Oh... where are you from?"

"I'm from Berk, Heather lives in Beserker."

"Used to live in Beserker!"

"I've heard of Beserker... I know the old chief there... Name was Drugo or Drugin or something," Drake said while thinking.

"You mean Dagur?," Heather asked.

"Yeah!," clarity swept over Drake. "That's the one!"

"Yeah... he's my brother."

"Does that make you Heather the Deranged?," Drake asked.

"DRAKE!," Marria shrieked.

"What? No! Of course not!," Heather said defensively.

"What? Sorry, I was just asking!," he defended himself. "Dude's crazy!"

"Shut up!," Heather shouted.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," Marria apologized to Heather and I. "We've been here alone for so long, someone has forgotten their manners, she hit his shoulder.

"Ouch, I said I was sorry."

"What brings you here?," Marria focused on me and I was left speechless.

"We aren't here," Heather said sharply. "We just stopped for some rest."

"Oh... and you just go around on your dragon... No one cares?"

"Well.. this is our first real stop actually. I've only been riding Toothless for a few days," I admitted.

"That's... something...," she looked at Toothless amazed. "I've never seen a Nightfury before, they're so rare," she lifted a hand as if to touch him but then rested it by her side again. "Oh... umm, I'm making stew for dinner, you are more than welcome to stay and have some."

"Sounds great," I said before Heather could grumble her disdain.

"Great," Marria smiled and I felt weak in the knees.

We followed them into their partial shelter and I sat on the floor, Heather beside me, Toothless in the doorway and Drake on his stool while Marria finished cooking in the firepit.

"Sorry we don't really have chairs, not very much company," she joked.

"It's fine," I assured her.

"Where's Grim?," Drake asked.

"Oh, she's probably out flying. You know how she is."

"Grim? Who is that? Is there another person here?," Heather asked.

Marria shook her head," No, thats just my dragon, Grim."

"So," Drake turned his attention to me. "Why are you guys resting?"

"We're on an adventure!," Heather said in a fake sarcastic peppy voice.

"Where you headed?," Drake asked.

I shrugged," I dunno. We're just going out and trying to convince people that dragons aren't as evil as everyone thinks. I... I didn't expect the first people we met to be dragon riders."

"Convince people? That dragons are good? That's a laugh," Drake leaned back.

"I know it will be hard, but you of all people should know how important this is. Dragons and humans can coexist in peace, shouldn't we want that?"

"Of course I want that," Drake said," but it'll never happen. That's why we live here, my tribe would have drowned me and Marria if they had found us with dragons."

"But Drake, this is what I was talking about," Marria handed us all bowls with stew. "We could make his world less violent."

"Sometimes we need violence, Mari. Clans will always fight one another, you know that."

"But we don't have to fight things that aren't our enemy. Clans might be the enemy, but dragons aren't," Marria's voice grew stern.

"Odin, they sound like you," Heather mumbled to me.

"What's your plan?," Marria stopped mid-conversation with Drake to ask me.

I told them everything. Everything I wanted to accomplish, how to bound everyone together and make dragons welcomed. It wasn't a solid plan it was mostly made up on the spot, I didn't really have a plan before but I made it up nicely. Drake looked unimpressed but Marria looked enthralled. A screech in the air silenced me and a dragon landed in the dark shadows of the coming evening.

"Grim!," Marria called and the dragon approached, she eyes us all suspiciously and Toothless did the same to her. "These are friends Grim, tey mean no harm," she nuzzled into the neck of her dragon lovingly. "You're so pretty., such a pretty girl," she stroked her scales.

"Don't make me gag," Heather rolled her eyes.

"Please, stay the night," Drake offered.

"Oh you have to," Marria told us," it's getting dark and there isn't another island for leagues."

I turned to Heather who did not look excited about it, but this place was safe and dry so I agreed. Marria gave us some weird dry leaves to sleep on andHeather and I laid outside the tree near the fire, Toothless slept above us.

"Can;t wait to get out of here," Heather grumbled.

"Why? This will be the most inviting place we ever stay. You know people are going to be angry at us, right? At me! because I didn't kill a dragon."

"I know that, but this place is just weird," she rolled over.

I let out a deep heavy sigh and closed my eyes, prepping for another big day.


	8. The Island

**Heather's POV**

I felt warm air blowing on my face, it smelled horrid of dead fish or rotting fruit. I squirmed and opened my eyes to see a dark purple horn an inch from my face.

"AH!," I pushed away and reached for my axe.

The creature back away quickly and Hiccup jumped up.

"What? What is it?!"

I looked around, I had no idea here I was. I was in an open area, with trees around the perimeter, through them I saw a beach but what my attention was on the dark dragon staring at me.

"It's okay! It's okay!," a girl yelled to us. I turned to see a girl who sparked my memory: Marria, she was at the fire, cooking something. She came over to us," don't be alarmed, she was just curious."

It hit me, I finally ran away. I wasn't on Beserker anymore, I had gotten away from it all... but now I was here. On some island, with dragons.

I stood up quickly, the smaller purple dragon eyes me curiously from across the clearing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement, Toothless walked around me cautiously stepping towards the Grim Gnasher. They were both careful, bot pressing the limits of the new fragile friendship, smelling each other carefully before Toothless came back to where Hiccup and I stood.

"Awe, that means she likes him," Marria beamed.

I looked to Hiccup, I was so confused as to what I had signed up from, I grunted and pushed toward the beach without a word to anyone.

 _Was this a mistake? I want nothing more than to sink my blade into the skull of that dragon. To be a Viking means to kill dragons, protect the tribe... How am I supposed to do this? How can I be like Hiccup when all I want is to kill them?_

 **Hiccup's POV**

"I guess she's not the talking type," Marria joked as Heather left for the beach.

I sighed watching my cousin storm away," As a matter of fact, she is."

"I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't think Grim would scare hr like she did. I figured since you travel with your cute little dragon," she giggled," that she wouldn't mind Grim."

"Don't worry about it. Heather will get over it, she's just... new to the whole thing. I am too."

"Well, allow my to introduce you," she gave a sharp whistle and her dragon scurried over eagerly. The purple dragon eyes me enthusiastically, fluffing her wings and jumping from foot to foot. "You were not introduced properly, this is my dragon Grim," Marria wrapped her arm around the snout of her dragon. "Grim this is a new friend, Hiccup."

Grim stepped another foot closer to me, sniffing at my claws, she chirped excitedly.

"She likes you too," Marria told me.

"I'm glad to win her approval I joked and Marria giggled, which caused a stirring in my chest, she was unrealistically beautiful.

"I... uh... I, this is Toothless," I stammered over the words. Toothless came up quickly and swiftly, smelling Marria's outstretched hand, which he then allowed her to pet him on the head.

"He's truly beautiful. To be honest, I've never actually met a Nightfury before."

"He's my first too," I told her.

"I bet that's why you want this so bad? The whole peace between us and dragons."

"You want to find more Nightfuries."

I looked away and rubbed the back of my neck," That's not the whole reason."

"Oh, no, I get it. Believe me. I've been trying to convince Drake to start a revolution for what feels like a lifetime," she sighed and leaned into her dragon. "Being stuck here, hidden... it's not doing us any good. I... forget it," she hide behind Grim.

"No, tell me," I coaxed her.

"I'm kind of jealous of you. I mean, you're out there, really making a difference."

I chuckled," No, not really. Not yet at least. We haven't done anything... but we have plans," I smiled to Toothless. I felt something swell inside me, a unknown urge, and it bubbled to the top and spilled out into the air.

"Come with us."

Marria turned to me, surprised," What?"

I froze, _why did I say that?_

"I... uh... I mean, you should... you should come with us."

A smile spread across her lips," Are you serious?"

"Yeah, you and Drake, come with us. Help us spread the message about dragons."

"You're serious," Marria's smile brightened and my heart raced, then it turned to a scowl and she turned away. "Drake would never agree. He thinks being here is safe, protected by Scraps and Grim."

"But like you said, you're wasting a lifetime of chances on this island when you could be out there, wings on the wind, making real change."

"It all sounds so nice when you say it," she sighed, looking defeated. "But Drake and I know better... this world... it's not ready for change."

I looked to Toothless who looked back at me," I can't believe that," I smiled at my dragon who grinned in return and turned back to Marria. "People need to see how dragons really are, not what they're like when we attack them."

She paused, looking at me, almost as if she was studying me.

"What?," I felt uncomfortable.

"Nothing," she said whimsically. "I should get back to breakfast, Drake will be hungry when he gets back."

"Oh... yeah, he will... uhm... he's lucky... to have you, I mean," I felt a blush in my cheeks.

Marria smiled,"Drake is my best friend, I've known him my whole life. He... He's the one who accepted me when I found Grim as a baby... when I nurtured her to health and kept her as a pet. He accepted me."

"You found Grim?," I asked.

"Yeah, she was abandoned or forgotten, roaming the shores of my home island. I approached her slowly, she was stumbling around, clumsy little thing," she snickered and rubbed Grim's neck. "I saved her and in a way she saved me, from living a life of hate... Drake helped me, he helped me feed her, clean her, teach her. Then when she got too big to hide, I told him I was leaving, leaving with her. He told me he was coming with and then he met Scraps, here on this island. Scraps was very protective, he didn't want us here, but slowly he warmed up to us and... now we're like a family."

"Wow, that's really amazing."

"It's a story for the elders to tell one day," her smile faded. " But no one can know... if they knew, they would kill us Hiccup. That's why I came here, to escape the cruelty of the world, to be happy with Grim."

"But if the world was different, you wouldn't have to hide," I told her and Grim whimpered.

She stroked Grim lovingly," You make it sound so easy."

I shrugged," Maybe not... but it's something I'm willing to work for. I... I should check on Heather."

"Yeah... I need to check on breakfast," she turned and I watched her walk away with her dragon beside her. "Come on, bud," I lingered on Marria for a second more before turning and leaving for the beach.

Heather POV

"Are we leaving," I stood up as Hiccup approached me with his dragon.

"Uh... uhm, not quite. I want to wait for Drake to come back," Hiccup stuttered.

"Ugh, I groaned. "Where is he anyway? Somewhere looking at his reflection?" I sat back on the sand.

"He's not so bad," I sat beside her.

"Hiccup I-... ," I stopped talking at looked back to the ground.

"What?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"No, tell me," he pressed.

"I said no."

He sighed," Heather, there's no need to be stubborn. If you want to go home, I can take you back."

 _WHAT!_

"WHAT?," I turned to him quickly.

"I get you don't want o be here, you don't like dragons."

"You don't know anything Hiccup! I'm not going back!"

"Heather, I can-.."

"STOP!," I cut him off. "I'm not going back, Hiccup. So shut it, I'd rather be killed by your pet than live another day on that island."

Hiccup sighed," I won't take you home, but I might stay here for a few days."

"WHAT?"

Hiccup was just full of surprises right now.

"I want to learn more, Heather. I can learn for these people, they know about dragons and they have experience. Toothless and I... I think it will be good for us... but you..."

"What about me," I spat angirly.

"You can't be like this, Heather. You can't be so hostile towards Marria and Drake or their dragons."

"You can't expect me to change overnight, Hiccup," I grumbled. "That dragon was all up in my face!"

"I don't," I told her. "I just need you to make an effort if you're going to stay."

"I'm not going home," I repeated through gritted teeth. "Besides we can;t stay here, you're father is looking for you by now and he'll find us!"

"I know... but he only has ships to sail on, I can fly and it's much faster. I think we can spare a few days," Hiccup stood up. "Marria made breakfast and she offered us some, you should thank her."

 _I don't want to go home... I can't. But we're so close, he could take me home if he wanted to. I have to play nice for now._

"Fine," I muttered standing up and following him.


End file.
